The draft resolution of the Left Bloc on the total cancellation of the debt with Ukraine, the draft resolution of Chega that advocated a moratorium and the PAN proposal on the possibility of renegotiation, were rejected this Friday in Parliament.
In the presentation of the draft resolution of the Bloco de Esquerda (BE), the deputy Mariana Mortágua clearly defended the total cancellation of the external debt of the country invaded by Russia, warning, during the debate in the Assembly of the Republic, that the World Bank has not yet classified Ukraine as “a country at war”.
The fact that Ukraine has not been classified as a “country at war” seriously hampers kyiv’s financial situation in terms of debt.
For the BE deputy, it would be essential to free Ukraine from the “debt yoke” thus helping “a country at war” and the “poorest state (Ukraine) in Europe”.
The Left Bloc also mentioned, among other measures, that the European Commission decided to lend 1.2 billion euros to Ukraine “in the context of a memorandum of understanding” and that The kyiv government is forced to cut salaries, pensions and social support to enforce payments.
The draft resolution on total cancellation of the debt was rejected with the votes of the PS and the PCP, with the favorable votes of the Bloco de Esquerda, PAN and Livre.
The PSD or Chega and the Liberal Initiative abstained.
Enough’s draft resolution called for a 20-year moratorium on paying Ukraine’s foreign debt and holding Russia responsible.
“We defend a 20-year moratorium, everything else is demagoguery. Russia must be held accountable and the postwar period must pay. It is the Russians who have to pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine”, said deputy André Ventura during the debate.
Chega’s arguments were strongly criticized by the Left Bloc.
“Deputy André Ventura copied the Bloco project, but where there is solidarity in the Bloco, there is xenophobia in Chega. The deputy André Ventura lives well with the debts of the African countries that are looted, he only knows hatred and now he says that he wants to pass the bill to the Russian oligarchs”, accused Mariana Mortágua.
Basta’s draft resolution was rejected by the PS and PCP votes against.
Finally, the draft resolution of the PAN was discussed, which recommended that the Government study the possibility of renegotiating or canceling Ukraine’s debt with Portugal.
“We (Portugal) have suffered the effects of ‘troika‘ and now, let’s see what a country at war is like,” said Inês Sousa Real, from PAN.
The draft resolution presented by the PAN was rejected after votes against PS and PCP.
During the debate on the issue of Ukraine’s foreign debt with individual creditors and international institutions, the leader of the PCP caucus, Paula Santos, said that the proposals on debt cancellation “are not intended to support the poor, but to prolong the war”. advantages for ‘big capital’ like the United States is that “weapons are being placed in the hands of the extreme right”.
In the voice of deputy Miguel Iglésias, the PS said that it would be tragic if Ukraine went into default, even because the country’s Central Bank “estimates a fall of 30%”.
“It is a difficult situation and it needs the support of friendly countries like Portugal, but (the issue) It will have to be discussed in the corresponding forums.“, said the socialist deputy, insisting that issues related to Ukraine’s debt are being discussed at the international level.
Source: Observadora
